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You can make it happen—the dream of owning your own ranch. But you’ve got to move things beyond the dreaming phase, and you can do it with the help of ranch real estate experts. Recently, we profiled Gregory Fay, partner in Fay Ranches, Inc. Now, with their permission, we’re sharing tidbits from the Fay Ranches blog, just to whet your land-owning appetites.

For an interesting perspective on the ranch real estate market, read on…

An Optimistic Ranch Real Estate Market?

With many things in the financial sector and federal government looking uncertain, one thing remains true: “Real estate is and always will be a quality long term investment”. Many ranch brokerage companies have reported record sales for 2012, supporting what appears to be a strengthening real estate market and an inviting time to invest. Interest rates are at all-time lows, and memories of the stock market’s crash are still at the forefront of everyone’s minds, causing many buyer/investors to take advantage of a great buying opportunity, choosing to invest in farm and ranch real estate.

In a recent article in the Billings Gazette, friend and managing broker Greg Fay is cited summarizing the market: “In looking ahead to this year’s market, Fay is cautiously optimistic.” He doesn’t entirely trust the market, although the economy seems more stable. He sees ranch prices as bottomed out, but not yet appreciably rising, making it still a good time to buy. There also could be more ranches for sale if there’s a sense that the market value is increasing. Greg is also quoted as saying, “There are excellent opportunities everywhere right now.”

I personally could not agree more. Along with one of my closest friends, a bank owner and agricultural lender, we are both astounded at how low interest rates are and how long they have remained low. It does not encourage investors to put money into the banks, but the inverse is an excellent borrowing environment. This coupled with a strong agriculture commodities market is bringing many buyers into the ranch market place and encouraging “conservative” farmers and ranchers to expand their operations. There appears to be some longevity to the strong agriculture market and real estate values have stabilized and show glimpses of increasing in value. Both of these factors make it a good time to invest in ranch real estate and enjoy some security in a quality long term investment.

RANCH REAL ESTATE

Hello 2013. Maybe this is the year you live your dream. A dream of wide open spaces and big skies, of fast-moving streams alive with trout, of snow-topped mountains filled with elk. Ranch country—and it’s all yours.

Big country, big dreams. But it doesn’t have to remain in the realm of make-believe, thanks to an outfit like Fay Ranches. You can make it happen—with the help of these ranch real estate experts. We profiled Gregory Fay, partner in Fay Ranches, Inc. last month. Now, with their permission, we’re sharing tidbits from the Fay Ranches blog, just to whet your land-owning appetites. It helps us kick off a new feature for 2013: Ranch Real Estate.

Enjoy. . .

Five Montana Fly Fishing Properties For Sale

By admin on Tue, 09/18/2012 – 1:22pm

Buying a Montana fly fishing property for sale is a wise investment, and a decision that will give you and your family years of adventures and innumerable memories. The fly fishing in Montana is some of the best in the lower 48 states, and blue-ribbon trout streams and fisheries wind through the entire state. Montana’s Jefferson, Madison, Missouri, and Yellowstone Rivers are world-renowned for their fly fishing. Bozeman has an abundance of blue-ribbon trout streams within an hour’s drive, and neighboring Livingston also provides access to Paradise Valley and Yellowstone National Park.

Fay Ranches is proud to represent the following five Montana fly fishing ranches for sale, which are some of the most famous and unique ranches in the West. Some feature custom-built ranch homes and structures, some are productive agricultural properties, but all of them feature private access to some of the most sought-after fly fishing in the United States.

Circle B RanchThe Circle B Ranch features over three and a half miles incredible fly fishing waters, including 1.6 miles of frontage along Baker and V Creeks, and 1.5 miles of West Gallatin River Frontage. This 427+- acre property is a true sportsman’s paradise, with excellent whitetail, waterfowl, and pheasant hunting, a beautiful 5-bedroom luxury home, barn, guest quarters, machine shop, and the potential to expand the length of the fisheries on the ranch. Read more about this Manhattan Montana fly fishing property for sale.

Dome Mountain RanchThe Dome Mountain Ranch is an enormous Montana fly fishing property, featuring 5360+_ deeded acres, 470+_ State leased acres, and 508 acres leased from the BLM. One side of the ranch is bordered by over six miles of Yellowstone River frontage, providing world-famous wild trout fishing, and the rest of the ranch borders the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and Yellowstone National Park. The ranch includes 3 lakes, a stunning log home, guest homes, barns, sheds, and a commercial lodge. The wildlife is abundant and diverse, and moose, elk, deer, mountain lion, antelope, waterfowl, and birds of prey are only a few of the animals that frequent the Dome Mountain Ranch. This property has been featured on several nationally televised programs and large publications, and it is rightfully one of the famous ranches in Southwest Montana. Learn more about the Dome Mountain fly fishing ranch for sale in Montana.

Burnt Leather RanchThe Burnt Leather fly fishing ranch in McCleod Montana (pictured at top) is one of the most scenic fly fishing experiences in Montana, and also contains 2 miles of both sides of the West Boulder, a renowned and prolific fly fishery in the middle of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The property includes the Steen Place Headquarters, is under Conservation Easement, and hosts an extraordinary array of wildlife, from deer to turkey to mountain lion. The Burnt Leather Ranch is a historic and iconic ranch, and is only 35 minutes from Livingston Montana. Learn more about the Burnt Leather fly fishing property for sale in Montana.

McCoy Spring Creek RanchThe McCoy Spring Creek Ranch is a 1209-acre fly fishing property for sale near Dillon Montana, in the Beaverhead Valley. The ranch houses several ponds and wetlands that provide endless hours of fly fishing and waterfowl hunting, and both sides of a productive spring creek flow through the property. Several other blue-ribbon fisheries are nearby. In addition, McCoy Spring Creek Ranch has five circle pivots and produces grain, alfalfa, and corn. This ranch has an astounding amount of recreational value for a property of its size. Learn more about this Dillon Montana fly fishing ranch for sale.

Oyler Ranch on the Gallatin RiverThe Oyler Fly Fishing Property in Bozeman Montana straddles the West Gallatin River for approximately 2 miles, as well as two other spring creeks, providing immediate access to over three and a half miles of blue-ribbon fly fishing. The property is known for its excellent whitetail, pheasant, and waterfowl hunting, and it also includes around 90 acres of irrigated production ground. Only 15 minutes from a commercial airport and 30 minutes from the boutique shops, restaurants, and historic downtown of Bozeman, Montana, this world-class recreational ranch is an opportunity not to be missed. Read more about this Bozeman Montana fly fishing property for sale.

NEWSFLASH

It’s a gorgeous Montana day when I find myself talking to Ever Charles of Fay Ranches, Inc. based in Bozeman. Though I’ve never thought of owning a ranch in the Rockies, this is the kind of crisp, blue-sky day when that kind of thought could cross the mind of even a city kid like me.

Ms. Charles has been with Fay Ranches—a ranch real estate company—for two years and says she “absolutely loves” her job. Check out the website (pictured above) and you can see why—her ‘office’ is some of the most beautiful land in the world. “And the people are down to earth and family-oriented. We enjoy the outdoors life and have fun together.”

But they do get down to business—the business of selling American ranch lands, that is, like the ranches you’ll see on our sister site, flyfishingranchesandlodges.com. Charles tells me that 2012 has been a good year so far for the company—they’ve sold ranches in every price category and genre, from large working ranches valued at over $20 million to small fishing ranches in the $1 to $3 million range.

But if I really want the inside scoop, Charles says I should talk to Gregory Fay, owner/broker of Fay Ranches, Inc. I learn that Greg Fay graduated in 1984 from the University of Colorado with a degree in English Literature, but has been a full-time real estate broker since 1986. Now, his company operates in five states with 19 agents and seven satellite offices.

So of course I have to ask Mr. Fay (shown at left) how one goes from a degree in English Literature to being a real estate broker. But really, it’s not a fair question, since how many college grads actually end up with a job in the field their degree covers?

Still, Fay says, his studies have helped, “I do a great deal of writing and I have a tremendous appreciation for good writing. So my degree has been handy for all the writing and communications for the company—accurate communication is essential in this work.”

Ranch transactions are far more complex than residential real estate–and why folks need a specialist And even after twenty years as a realtor selling ranchlands, he continues to find the job fascinating. “Every day I’m learning something new,” Fay contends, “which is what makes this job so fun and challenging. A lot of multi-generational ranches have water rights issues, title issues, neighbor issues. My experience of twenty-odd years helps me solve them.”

Flexibility is another skill that has helped make Fay Ranches, Inc. a success during the past few years of a challenging economy. “The last three years have changed the real estate landscape,” Fay notes, adding that many brokerage firms haven’t made it. “But the first two quarters in 2012 have been the strongest in the history of Fay Ranches. There’s a slingshot effect coming out of the recession and it has been an opportunity to increase market share.”

It may also be a fantastic time to buy a ranch. In his 2012 Ranch Market Update, Fay says “When I ask buyers why they have entered the ranch market, the reasons I hear are as follow:

‘I feel the market has hit bottom, and I want to take advantage of the opportunities.’

‘I want to invest in something tangible that I can enjoy; I like ranches because there will always be a diminishing supply.’

‘I have frugal fatigue.’

‘My business is doing well, and I have discretionary money again.”

What’s even more interesting is that today’s buyers aren’t just speculators. “Its really satisfying to work with today’s clients–largely families,” Fay tells me. “Any property today, it has to pass the investment test. The consistent theme is value.”

“Once the transaction is completed, it becomes very much a family investment,” Fay concludes. Overall, Fay feels ‘tentatively optimistic that we are in the beginning stages of a slow and moderate growth market for ranches.’

Four pillars—sporting pursuits, family, conservation, ranch value—are the bedrock of Fay’s success as a realtor. “It central to our mission and its who we are. It was not a strategic decision, just who we are. As a broker, you can have a very tangible effect on these lands,” Fay says. And the Fay Ranches outfit wants their effect to be a positive one. “To float down a river and know that a whole bank is protected by a conservation easement of clients of ours–it’s pretty gratifying.”

Welcome!

Welcome to Gene Kilgore's world of Dude and Guest Ranching. Planning a dude ranch vacation, fly fishing trip, or girls getaway? Then saddle up and ride with us! A leader in the world of ranching, Kilgore and award-winning writer Lora Finnegan share RANCH NEWS, TIPS FOR MOMS, FOOD AND WINE INFO, plus RANCHER PROFILES AND RANCH REVIEWS.